11032019-LSTC-01.qxd 3/10/2019 7:26 PM Page 1 c m y b R KELLY RELEASED FROM JAIL Rapper R. Kelly has been released from jail in Chicago after the $161,000 he owed in child support was paid. It is unclear who made the singer’s payment. The R&B artist was last month charged with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, involving four alleged victims, three of whom were minors. IANS TRIBUNE The son shines Sunny Deol’s son, Karan Deol, who will soon debut with Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas flagged off an all women’s bike rally in Delhi on Sunday.—IANS CHANDIGARH | MONDAY | 11 MARCH 2019 The mistress of her craft Gurnaaz Kaur Nailing the lens like a pro “ W E tell ourselves stories in order to live.” Stories are deep insights into humanity and all its complexities. Films are a great medium of storytelling. Of all that we see on the screen—the actors, characters and plots—there are those working behind the scenes to make the story a success. While we often meet the faces on camera, today we have a brush with the stars behind it, the few women stars precisely. It seems the ongoing struggle for gender equality has its ripple effect even in the Punjabi film industry. But there are women who are making a mark in this otherwise maledominated arena. Playing the boss Alex Rodriguez & Jennifer Lopez shared the news on social media JLo is engaged! To add to the list of grand engagements, recently, international sensation Jennifer Lopez and her beau, Alex Rodriguez got engaged in complete style. JLo and Alex put a ring on it in the most romantic way and announced the news on social media. The couple has been dating each other for more than 2 years now and there was a lot of speculation about the proposal before it officially happened. As seen in the photo shared by her, JLo can be seen wearing a massive rock on her finger whilst holding hands with her beloved, Alex. On the other hand, Alex shared the same photo with the caption, “She said yes.” The two are currently enjoying their time together on a tropical vacation, and couldn’t have looked happier in the photos they shared on Instagram over the last couple of days. The couple began dating in February of 2017 and reportedly the two met while they were separately having lunch. Mahi Aulakh today has an independent production house called Big Height Motion Pictures and last year we saw Gurjind Mann-starrer Punjab Singh under this banner. If you thought producing a movie was all about investing money in it, this should shed some light on reality. “From arranging sets, cameras and other equipments, deciding a location to finalising the artistes, costume designer, everything is done by the executive producer (EP). From the first shot till the post-production she is always a part of the whole process as the right They may be outnumbered in the Punjabi film industry, but so what! These ladies are slowly and steadily making showbiz a woman’s world hand of the producer. I’ve spent years in Bollywood and TV as (EP) or as an assistant to EP My journey in the industry . began with Jodha Akbar. It was when I was working for a TV show in 2011 when Vivek Ohri asked me to be an EP for Yaar Anmulle. Then I went on to do Mukhtiar Chadha with him. Ever since I’ve started my own production house, I’ve been doing it all myself. Punjabi industry isn’t Sunita Radia, one of the few female cinematographers, feels women are as strong a force as men too familiar with the idea of having women in the crew but thankfully things are changing,” shares Mahi. One-woman army There is something endearing about Anjali Khurana’s story. She is a woman of words and has created, promoted, distributed and digitised content for web, mobile, TV and films. It is her craving to make sensitive and sensible cinema that landed her in Mohali from Mumbai. She has written the story, screenplay and dialogues of upcoming film Munda Faridkotia and has two untitled projects in the pipeline. “While Punjabi cinema is enterprising and witnessing immeasurable growth, it comes with its set of surprises much like any new industry finding its feet in the system. Most producers I have come across are new to glamour and even women calling the shots. From where I come, there’s a protocol for having women workforce in any given set up, which is missing in Punjabi cinema, but I’m hoping it will happen soon with more and more women turning towards Punjabi cinema for a serious career consideration. Another challenge is taking women writers seriously.” She adds, “Blame it on my contemporary way of dressing, curly Sunita Radia started her career as a camera assistant with the movie Devdas and went on to become an associate cinematographer for movies such as Munnabhai MBBS, Rand De Basanti and many more. Today she is a known name among cinematographers and among many Hindi flicks she has Punjabi film Saadey CM Saab to her credit. Being among the very few women in her field, she says, has never bothered her. “I had a great time working in Punjab. I hope to do more Punjabi projects. I agree it has been a difficult journey but also a very unbiased one in a way. When your work is showcased among 20 million people and no one sees from gender point of view, it’s an unmatched feeling. After Baadshaho, critics glorified my work and said I shot Rajasthan like never before. But till date I walk the extra mile to prove my work but I just love what I do so I do not worry about rejections. People have to understand that women are as strong a force as men, or maybe even more I feel.” hair or use of English language in my routine communication that most filmmakers prefer considering scripts of writers who look like they have just landed from a far flung village to sell their script. Having said that, I have also met those who want to take Pollywood on par with Bollywood. I love this medium and I want to be the change I want to see.” Aye aye, captain! We now step into the director’s zone. Director as we know is the captain of the ship. Nidhi Sharma donned the hat of a director in 2012 for Pooja Kiven Aa. She loves the craft and will soon be making a woman-oriented film. The gap she says is because, “There are hardly women directors in Punjabi film industry. In fact, when on the first day I reached the sets, the crew couldn’t believe I was directing the film. Back then it made me doubt my decision but I am glad I did what I did. I’ve been an EP for many movies after that and I feel the time has come when I can take up direction again and this time I’ll make sure to appoint an allwomen crew. The onus of bringing the change lies on us and I don’t want anyone to feel the way I felt when I began,” quips Nidhi Sharma. From kids to costumes For all the style and fashion you see in films, there are costume designers working months and months to get the look right. Hardeep Bindra is one of them who, with her husband, have been doing the job for seven years now. “Our recent most was High End Yaariyaan. Be it the main cast or the extras, it’s our responsibility to dress everyone according to the theme of the film. A lot of research goes into it. For instance, if it’s a period film, we have to make sure the fabric, the clothing, footwear, hair, makeup, jewellery, everything is of that era. Since this job requires a lot of travelling, I pay attention to mostly the backend work. We may say we are very advanced, but the mindsets still need to change. Even today it is expected from a woman to prioritise family and household over career and maybe this thought is the reason why there are very few women in our profession,” says Hardeep. After all, as the maxim goes, a woman’s work is never done and these women are not only proving their creativity and grit but more importantly working to pave the way for all the women who aspire to lend their technical knowhow to make a story worth telling. gurnaaz@tribunemail.com From former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair to the Birlas to the entire Bollywood, on Saturday all roads led to Akash Ambani’s wedding celebrations A baraat to remember Abhishek Bachcan, Aishwarya Rai along with daughter Aaradhya Akash Ambani, Shloka Mehta along with Nita Ambani Ranbir Kapoor, Karan Johar, SRK along with the groom Akash Ambani shaking a leg on singer Mika’s tunes Mukesh Ambani and Nita Ambani’s elder son Akash Ambani tied the knot with Shloka Mehta on Saturday in a grand traditional ceremony. The Baraat had the likes of Shah Rukh Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, Karan Johar dancing their heart out with the groom’s family. Also accompanying them was Mika Singh who we believe was the voice behind making these men let their hair down. After the evening wedding, a grand dinner was hosted at the newly constructed Jio World Centre at Mumbai’s Bandra Kurla Complex. Seen in attendance were former UK PM Tony Blair, Ratan Tata, Kumar Mangalam Birla, Rajan Bharti Mittal, Sunil Bharti Mittal, among others. Besides SRK, KJo and Ranbir, other celebs from Bollywood brigade who graced the occasion included Amitabh Bachchan with family, Aamir Khan with wife Kiran Rao, Alia Bhatt, Priyanka Chopra, Janhvi Kapoor, Vidya Balan, Kareena & Karisma Kapoor amongst several others. Cricketer Harbhajan Singh with wife Geeta Basra and daughter Hinaya Heer Plaha c m y b The Ambanis pose for shutterbugs The Kapoor sisters, as always, were seen making an appearance together

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